reactions to my situation

Here's what I wrote in an Instapundit open thread:

After training on the staircase for two-and-a-half months, I got COVID again around mid-March (I remain resolutely unjabbed). All my routines went out the window. Luckily, I didn't lose my smell and taste like last time. But I did have trouble with my breathing and heart rate, so I wondered if this was myocarditis. Finally went to my local doc; he did some tests, including x-ray and EKG, then he said, "Get thee to a local hospital for more detailed testing. I don't like what I see." So I went to the same hospital that treated me when I had my stroke three years ago, and they said, "Nope, it's not COVID-related myocarditis. It's heart failure—severe left-ventricular systolic dysfunction." So I'm left to wonder how that's possible. Once a year, I walk across Korea, which means plenty of practice walks throughout the year. I realize my eating habits aren't the best, but enough to contribute to heart failure?? Anyway, they say therapy is possible; the hospital is drugging me up and monitoring me for the moment, then they'll tell me how I need to lead my life from now on, I guess. I'm still pondering how I went from walking 1.25 times up my apartment's staircase (B1 to 26, then B1 to 6) to lying in a hospital bed. Frustrating. Default assumption is that I did this to myself, and it all comes down to diet, but if this smart group of people* has other ideas, I'm all ears.

Responses came in within a couple hours:

1. As I recall, you are a fairly young guy too, especially for this place...any family history? Maybe get a second opinion too? Sorry I can't offer more...I've always admired your walking trips and the training you described...good luck with everything... 

2. I don't know if it is one of Murphy's Laws, but it is a law nonetheless: you can be doing everything you should be doing in the way you should be doing it, and not be doing what you shouldn't do, and still end up "behind the eight ball."

So there I was in ICU, the doctor came in, introduced himself, and said: Mr. Sam, you're a mystery. You have X, Y, and Z, and no risk factors.

3. Eh, sometimes health problems just happen, despite one's best efforts.

If it makes you feel better, your fitness regimen is likely to give you a better chance of recovering faster, if they can fix your heart.

The important part is, they found the problem before you dropped dead of it.

4. It's not something you did; it's the human condition. I hope you deal with it successfully.

5. I had a former coworker who was the most health-conscious, right-eating, exercise-maniac person I ever met. He went into the doctor after three or four months of just not feeling right, having difficulty working out, all that jazz; the verdict was congestive heart failure. Sometimes it’s the luck of the draw and there’s nothing you can do about it.

6. A sub-optimal diet can absolutely contribute to heart failure. Doctors like to recommend low fat, low saturated fat, and low salt diets for heart patients. But you can solve 80% of your health problems by eating in a way that minimizes blood sugar spikes. 

Context: My family is Chinese and has a history of both heart disease and diabetes. My mom is a Buddhist vegetarian and was baffled to find that she had high cholesterol and high blood pressure despite not eating any saturated animal fats. It was the sugar and processed carbs that caused the problems. My dad's dad was a baker by trade, and unsurprisingly type 2 diabetes is a problem on my dad's side of the family. But heart disease is also a problem on my dad's side because blood sugar issues can cause clogged arteries. 

Books I like about the effect of high blood sugar levels on overall bodily health: 

- Obesity Code by Jason Fung 

- Glucose Revolution by Jesse (forgot last name, starts with an A) 

- Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes 

I like this book written about cancer (even though I do not have cancer) for its message that we can take control of our own health rather than blindly following medical advice that may or may not be in our best interest: 

- Radical Remission (forget author's name)

Best of luck to you in your health journey.

7. James (Jimmy) Fuller Fixx (April 23, 1932 – July 20, 1984) was an American who wrote the 1977 best-selling book The Complete Book of Running. He is credited with helping start America's fitness revolution by popularizing the sport of running and demonstrating the health benefits of regular jogging. He died of a heart attack while jogging at 52 years of age; his genetic predisposition for heart problems and other previous lifestyle factors may have caused his heart attack.[1] 

I've lived in Korea long enough to be conditioned to expect a lot of blame-and-shame (commenter #6 is ethnically Asian; his response at least somewhat fits the pattern), so this unwillingness to blame me feels surprising and a little off (through no fault of the commenters), especially since conservatives preach the gospel of Take responsibility for yourself. I'm still waiting for one or two of the doctors on the board to weigh in; the average age of an Instapundit commenter is around 60, and many of these people Know Things. I'll post an update if there are any other responses.

__________

*I'm referring to the Instapundit commentariat.